FACT ERDAS 1A Star - from a non-pilot
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Join Date: Dec 2016
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FACT ERDAS 1A Star - from a non-pilot
Hi chaps,
I'm not a pilot, so please don't shoot me down. Just interested.
It seems a common approach into FACT is the ERDAS 1A Star.
http://www.caa.co.za/Aeronautical%20...001_ARR-01.pdf
I wanted to try it on my home simulator, and did OK. However, a lot of it was guess work. I flew to ERDAS waypoint from FACT, set the NAV radio to 115.7 (CTV) and then flew along the 245 radial towards FACT. Then, at 8 DME, I turned left to 190... and then when passing over the beach, started a slow right turn until I saw RW01 ahead. I did not have ILS set... I probably should have. But my question is:
Leave ERDAS at FL100. I was at 6000 the whole way. It says maintain assigned alt. What would that be (usually)? FL100 seemed very high for how far out I was.
Then it says turn right direct to CTV (After tracking 190) and maintain 6,500. Again, I was around 4,000 and I felt very high. I'm sure the chart is right though, so would you start descending from 6,500 when you start that turn? If using ILS, would you not intercept the glide slope very high? Or, as I assume, would ATC be telling you your altitude, which would let you join on or below the glide slope?
When I tried it, at lower heights than mentioned - I felt very high and really had to drop a lot before I got my two reds and two whites.
Any experience and info, in speak that an enthusiast might understand would be amazing.
Also, when living in SA, I recall seeing the aircraft come over Durbanville, and then commence a turn for 19 over Durbanville Hill, and then straight in (it looked like). Would that be a STAR, and which one would that have been? (Possibly the ERDAS one again, but for 19?) It seems all the STARs are based on the VOR at Caper Town. Here in Brisbane, the STARs seem to mainly be waypoint to waypoint.
I'm not a pilot, so please don't shoot me down. Just interested.
It seems a common approach into FACT is the ERDAS 1A Star.
http://www.caa.co.za/Aeronautical%20...001_ARR-01.pdf
I wanted to try it on my home simulator, and did OK. However, a lot of it was guess work. I flew to ERDAS waypoint from FACT, set the NAV radio to 115.7 (CTV) and then flew along the 245 radial towards FACT. Then, at 8 DME, I turned left to 190... and then when passing over the beach, started a slow right turn until I saw RW01 ahead. I did not have ILS set... I probably should have. But my question is:
Leave ERDAS at FL100. I was at 6000 the whole way. It says maintain assigned alt. What would that be (usually)? FL100 seemed very high for how far out I was.
Then it says turn right direct to CTV (After tracking 190) and maintain 6,500. Again, I was around 4,000 and I felt very high. I'm sure the chart is right though, so would you start descending from 6,500 when you start that turn? If using ILS, would you not intercept the glide slope very high? Or, as I assume, would ATC be telling you your altitude, which would let you join on or below the glide slope?
When I tried it, at lower heights than mentioned - I felt very high and really had to drop a lot before I got my two reds and two whites.
Any experience and info, in speak that an enthusiast might understand would be amazing.
Also, when living in SA, I recall seeing the aircraft come over Durbanville, and then commence a turn for 19 over Durbanville Hill, and then straight in (it looked like). Would that be a STAR, and which one would that have been? (Possibly the ERDAS one again, but for 19?) It seems all the STARs are based on the VOR at Caper Town. Here in Brisbane, the STARs seem to mainly be waypoint to waypoint.
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Good day,
I will try my best to explain.
You are correct in routing directly to ERDAS. Upon entering the Cape Town FIR, an aircraft would be given a clearance for an arrival, in this case “ZS-XYZ route ERDAS for the ERDAS 1A arrival for runway 01”.
With most commercial aircraft these days you are able to program the arrival in to the Flight management computer or GPS. But essentially to fly the arrival procedurally, you would route to ERDAS, then fly towards CTV on the 065 Radial inbound which would mean a course of 245. At 8DME, turn left on to a heading of 190 degrees for radar vectoring for the ILS.
You mentioned the part about routing towards CTV at 6500ft etc. If you see written just above on the plate, it mentions that is part of the communication failure procedure. You would only follow those instructions should your radios fail.
As for the descent profile, that all depends on the type and size of aircraft you are flying. But essentially, approaching from the ERDAS side, and having flown this approach many times, the radar controller will only descend you below 9000ft having past 30DME inbound. Then past that, depending on traffic, you will be descended all the way down to the initial approach altitude of 2000ft while getting vectored for the ILS, where the Final approach fix is at 5.8nm CTI.
I hope that helps!
I will try my best to explain.
You are correct in routing directly to ERDAS. Upon entering the Cape Town FIR, an aircraft would be given a clearance for an arrival, in this case “ZS-XYZ route ERDAS for the ERDAS 1A arrival for runway 01”.
With most commercial aircraft these days you are able to program the arrival in to the Flight management computer or GPS. But essentially to fly the arrival procedurally, you would route to ERDAS, then fly towards CTV on the 065 Radial inbound which would mean a course of 245. At 8DME, turn left on to a heading of 190 degrees for radar vectoring for the ILS.
You mentioned the part about routing towards CTV at 6500ft etc. If you see written just above on the plate, it mentions that is part of the communication failure procedure. You would only follow those instructions should your radios fail.
As for the descent profile, that all depends on the type and size of aircraft you are flying. But essentially, approaching from the ERDAS side, and having flown this approach many times, the radar controller will only descend you below 9000ft having past 30DME inbound. Then past that, depending on traffic, you will be descended all the way down to the initial approach altitude of 2000ft while getting vectored for the ILS, where the Final approach fix is at 5.8nm CTI.
I hope that helps!
Last edited by macdaddy2; 25th Jan 2018 at 09:32.
